Boots Boots Boots

MrMurphy

Regular Member
Merrell Ventilators for day to day stuff. I used to work at REI so having the entire clothing department help me out on selecting footwear was nice. I have some issues from wearing boots all the time and when not on duty, really needed a boot with good airflow. The Ventilators win there.

For work, Danner Kinetics in black, 8". In the academy some of my classmates (including multi-war veterans) generally called them my Ninja Boots because they were so quiet I kept unintentionally sneaking up on guys and scaring the shit out of them (bad idea when it's a 3-Iraq tour Ranger......). On my 2nd pair (first has not worn out yet) just to give them both a break. I have the older "shiny" (daytime patrol) pair as a backup and my shiny-but-not-as-much nighttime patrol pair.
 

SoTex

Amateur
Currently on my third pair of Salomon GTX Mid. They live about 6-9 months on patrol for me before they start to leak water and the sole starts to separate and generally go to shit. Before I went to them I wore Danner Ft. Lewis. Still have the Ft. Lewis for really wet weather or the rare class A appearance.

The Salomon's are crapped out again and I need a new pair. I used to not sweat it because the pro deal was really good, recent change to the pro deal removed the blackout and "forces" versions and increased the price. I am now looking around. Anyone worn the Arcteryx Bora line?
 

Cris_Magpul

MAGPUL
Staff member
Moderator
The outsole of my Merrell Chameleons blew out in the middle of a firefight in Afghanistan, and I wound up with large rocks lodged between the outsole and midsole while trying to break contact. This was very uncomfortable, distracting, and inconvenient. Due to this admittedly anecdotal experience, I lost all confidence in Merrell, although since then a pair of Trail Gloves that I got on ProDeal as beaters have performed very well.

We were issued Danner Combat Hikers pre-deployment, and I found them to be very uncomfortable on my feet, hot, cumbersome, and clumsy. I broke them in, and never wore them again.

After the "Merrell Incident," I switched to a the heavier boots that I had brought with me, a pair of Asolo Morans. They served me well, but I received a pair of Kayland Vertigo High's from an RFI dump, and once I put those on, my world changed. They have long since given up the ghost, but they lasted through my deployment and kept my feet happy. A key factor to my foot comfort was the use of a good insole, in this case a High Country Synergy Footbed from Lathrop & Sons, and Darn Tough socks, also issued. I cannot recommend that footbed enough; it may not work for you, but if it does, you're set. Later on we were issued Asolo Fugitives, but they didn't fit me well. As for the socks, I still have the pairs I was issued, and I have not been kind to them over the years. Even so, I have not yet had to take advantage of their lifetime guarantee.

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Rest Easy, Good Boots

After the Kaylands went tits up, I started hunting from a new set of boots, and reached out to Steve Lathrop. At this time I was going to school full-time and part-timing at REI, selling boots and the like, so I thought I knew about footwear. I got Steve on the phone, and he promptly blew my mind with knowledge. I wound up in a set of Lowa Khumbu II GTX on his recommendation, and later on in a pair of Lowa Renegade LL, both with High Country Synergy footbeds. If you have serious boot questions that can't be answered here, Lathrop is the place to go. Steve and his family are serious outdoorsmen who spend time in boots, and that, combined with their podiatry and pedorthy backgrounds allows a unique level of expertise.

I now only wear boots for especially rough terrain, or when carrying especially heavy things. Daily, I wear the Trail Gloves, and they are slowly redeeming Merrell. Beyond that the Altra Superior 2.0 gives me a bit more cushioning than the Trail Gloves, if required. I find that minimalist type shoes keep my feet and ankles strong, an that allows me to get way more out of boots when I do have to use them.
 

TXLEO

Member
Currently on my third pair of Salomon GTX Mid. They live about 6-9 months on patrol for me before they start to leak water and the sole starts to separate and generally go to shit. Before I went to them I wore Danner Ft. Lewis. Still have the Ft. Lewis for really wet weather or the rare class A appearance.

The Salomon's are crapped out again and I need a new pair. I used to not sweat it because the pro deal was really good, recent change to the pro deal removed the blackout and "forces" versions and increased the price. I am now looking around. Anyone worn the Arcteryx Bora line?
Get a quote from GT's. I have one somewhere for $125 ish for the mids forces. Not sure what pro deal price was.
 

Moz

Newbie
I've been wearing the Rocky Alphas for about as long as they have been out, and they are by far my favorites. I've worn Danners, Haix, Bates (hate...fuck you, Bates), 5.11s, Addidas GSG-9, Belleville and Original SWAT.

I've never blown a zipper on the Rockys. They are incredibly comfortable. I've never had them leak and I have worn them in a couple of hurricanes, working in lots of standing water. My only complaint is the soft, comfy, grippy soles. They suck for booting doors. And the old snap flap that covered the top of the zipper...either tore off or the the snaps gave up the ghost. The new velcro closure fixed that.
 

Joe _K

Established
I’ve been wearing Rocky S2V
boots since 2009. In that time frame I have worn four different types of S2V’s. Original Tan with Kevlar inside lowers for fast roping, waterproof/insulated 400 gram thinsulate gore-Tex, 1st gen Jungles, and their new version of the original style. They are super comfortable, keep my bum ankles from rolling due to the foot inside the footbed versus on-top like a standard boot would do, little to no break in time. Use the sizing guide template that Rocky has posted online.

My only complaints are the inability to re-sole, and the spotty QC, I’ve seen poor stitching on the outsole on the front of the toe box area with 2 separate pairs. Still gotta try their new Jungle Gen 2’s.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

CS0817

Newbie
I've been wearing Belleville 770 goretex boots that I've used for the past 2 winters in north-central PA, they are very comfortable to wear on a 12 hour shift. I wear Salomon Blackout's (XA Pro Mid's on duty in the summer and Wear Salomon Quest's for everyday wear in the winter.
 
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